I Belive in My Family

My parents have always provided my sister and me with more money, toys, and advice than we have needed. I’m not an easy son to deal with but that has never stopped either one of my parents from being there the moment I need them. My family has always been there for me, seemingly putting their lives on hold whenever I ask anything of them. It’s because of all this love and selfless mentality that I believe I have the best family ever.

When I was younger, I was a handful, but it wasn’t until the pre and early teen years when things got real bad. I was rude, disrespectful, and lazy. But, worst of all, I was now rebelling against every rule my parents had. Anything from doing a simply chore to not being able to watch a movie, I would turn into huge, never-ending argument, and I wouldn’t stop until I got my way. More so, when I got in trouble, I knew just how to turn my parents against one another so that all attention was taken off me.

Looking back, I feel I was playing a pretty serious role in my parents’ marriage falling apart. Whether that was the case or not, there is no arguing the fact that fighting among my parents really increased around this time. My parents always did their best to hide the fighting, but I’ll never forget the days when everything just became too much. It was probably over a period of a few months, a time period from which I have a lot of memories. Memories that include my mom crying in the bathroom, my parents screaming “I want a divorce,” and the day when my mom finally sat me and my younger sister down and asked us if we wanted her and dad to get divorced. You could just tell by the look on her face that that was the hardest thing she ever had to do. However, that was always the mentality of my parents-do what is best for the children, do what they want.

Today I realize that that’s exactly why my parents did everything—for my sister and me. It’s why my dad worked so hard, why my mom was always home for us, and ultimately why they saved their marriage. They did it for my sister and me so we could have a stable and loving environment while we grew up. And I truly believe that they did it for me so that I would never have to even bear the thought that I had something to do with my parents getting divorced.

Both my parents have done all this and so much more that I can only hope to one day make them as thankful to have me as a son as I am to have them as parents. It’s their acts of selflessness, love and compassionate that truly make me believe I have the best family ever.

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Following her grandmother’s death, Priya Chandrasekaran wondered what to do with the colorful silk saris she inherited. In deciding to make a quilt from them, Chandrasekaran believes she found a way to both honor her grandmother and create something new. Click here to read her essay.